Thanks to SCOTUS
by joiedevivre2011
Summary: June 26, 2015. Jane and Maura celebrate nationwide marriage equality. [one-shot. tumblr prompt.]


This was an anonymous prompt from tumblr. Somebody wanted a fic where Jane and Maura celebrate marriage equality in the USA. :-)

* * *

June 26, 2015

11:03am

Maura Isles sat quietly in her office, a contented smile on her face, eyes unfocused. It had happened. Finally.

While she thought it might feel a little silly to feel such joy about it, seeing as she lived in a state where same-sex marriage had been legal for more than a decade, in all truth, she was happy for the same-sex couples she knew all over the country. A couple of colleagues within the forensic sciences. Several friends and acquaintances from undergraduate and graduate school. Sure they didn't all add up to a large number of people, barely a dozen, but even if it were just one person, or one couple, who lived in a state where same-sex marriage wasn't legal, it mattered a great deal. They could now live anywhere they chose and do so in a marriage that the government would legally acknowledge.

It felt good.

It felt very positive in comparison to so much turmoil across the country.

Her phone beeped, indicating a new message. It was a picture from her friend Julie, whom she'd met during her time serving with Doctors Without Borders in Africa. Julie had been serving with the Peace Corps in the same village, their stays overlapping by several months. Her partner had gotten a phenomenal promotion with Delta Airlines several years prior and the two had relocated to the company's headquarters in Atlanta, GA.]

It was a picture of an impressive diamond ring on Julie's finger. _April and I are finally getting married! Legally. In Georgia! Can you believe it?! We decided on everything before, but it was all tentative based on the SCOTUS decision this morning, mostly location._

 _That's fantastic! I'm so happy for the both of you! Congratulations._

 _Save the date. Saturday, November 7. I'll let you know the time and location as soon as we know._

 _I'll make sure to clear it out in my schedule._

 _Wonderful! I'll put you down for two. I assume Jane will be coming with you?_

A pang resonated within Maura's chest. _I told you already we're only friends, but if neither of us is romantically attached to anyone, yes, it'll likely be Jane._

 _Seriously, Maura? What are you waiting for? Tell her!_

Maura sighed. It wasn't a conversation she particularly wanted to have. _I'm happy for you and April. Let me know more info when you can._

 _I will. And tell her already!_

Scrolling back up to the photo Julie had sent, Maura stared at it for several long moments. The diamonds were clearly high quality and the cut suited her friend. She had to admit that she _was_ a tad envious though. It wasn't even that she'd had a plan. She hadn't figured that she'd be married with children by this point in her life, but at the very least she'd hoped that she would be in a long-term relationship.

The closest thing she had was her friendship with Jane.

And the only thing she wanted was a _relationship_ with Jane.

She sighed again. Part of her hoped that her friendship with Jane would naturally evolve into something romantic, but it was as if Jane couldn't see what was right in front of her face.

As far as Maura could see, however, while Jane continuously laid claim to being straight, her body language said otherwise when she was around Maura.

Breathing in deeply, Maura pushed the thoughts from her mind. Right now she only needed to be happy for her friend, and everyone else in the country who could celebrate their new marriage rights.

Just then, Jane traipsed into her office. "I slept like shit last night," the brunette grumbled as she all but collapsed onto the sofa. She quickly assessed Maura's demeanor. "You looked bummed. What's up?"

Maura attempted to force a smile. "I, uh, I just found out that my ex got engaged."

"Jack? Already?"

Shaking her head, Maura breathed out, "No." With a mirthless laugh, she continued, "Not Jack."

"Oh. Ian?"

Nearly snorting Maura replied, "As if a woman could hold Ian down long enough for that."

"Okay, then I'm at a loss."

"Julie. I met her when I was with Doctors Without Borders, before I met Ian. Our time overlapped several months during her time in the Peace Corps," Maura explained, rising from her chair, cell phone in hand. "She lives with her partner April, well, fiancée now, in Atlanta. Because of the Supreme Court decision earlier this morning, they can now legally get married there." She walked around her desk and headed toward Jane on the sofa.

"Back up. _Julie_? Why've I never heard about Julie?" Jane frowned. "You've only ever told me about Garrett and Ian."

The fact that Jane didn't seem shocked about Maura having been with a woman surprised her just a little. "Honestly, it wasn't much of a relationship. It was more physical than anything," the blonde explained, sitting next to Jane and placing her phone on the coffee table before them. "We began it knowing it would all end when she finished her service."

"Okay, so I'm assuming you're happy for her, but why aren't you a little more excited?" Leaning her head back on the sofa, Jane turned to look at her best friend.

"It's just…have you ever thought about where you'd always imagined yourself to be in life by now?"

"You mean my career, being married, popping out kids?"

Maura nodded and hummed in agreement.

"Honestly the only place I planned to be by now is at BPD being a homicide detective." Jane shrugged and looked forward again. "If a husband and maybe kids happened somewhere along the way, then okay, great. If not, then whatever." She snorted in amusement. "I may not be where Ma wants me to be in life obviously, but I'm happy. I'm surrounded by my family, quite literally most of the time. I love what I do, and I've got you. Those are the only things I care about."

"Aww, Jane, that's sweet." Maura's head tilted to the side and she smiled, but it quickly faded. "I didn't really have a plan per se, but I thought I'd at least be in a committed relationship as I neared 40."

"Hey, you've still got a little time," Jane said reassuringly.

"I know." Maura shrugged lightly. "I'm just feeling the pressure all of a sudden."

"Well, don't settle for someone just because you feel like you have to be with someone."

Maura smiled. "I don't want to. I'm willing to wait as long as it takes." She looked thoughtfully at her best friend. "Do you ever feel lonely?"

"Every now and then, yeah, but like I said, I've got you. I don't ever really feel alone with you." She looked once more at Maura.

"That's not what I mean," Maura replied, frowning.

"I'm 39 years old, Maura." Jane raised an eyebrow. "I've learned by now how to scratch my own itches."

"You know it's not the same," Maura refuted. "Sex is so much different with a partner."

Jane shrugged. "Yeah, I know, but nothing's seemed worthwhile and the thought of being married…just really freaks me out. I felt trapped with Casey. I didn't feel like myself and I can't live like that. It's one of the biggest reasons why I couldn't be with him in the end."

"Being in a relationship doesn't mean you have to be married. It's the commitment that matters."

Jane grinned. "Then I guess I'm afraid of commitment."

Maura picked up a throw pillow on her right and smacked Jane across her knees. "No, you're not."

"Hey, that is _so_ rude!" The brunette quickly clutched the pillow so Maura couldn't jerk it away again. "All I know is…" She sighed. "The person I spend the rest of my life with, I want to feel like I'm with my best friend. I want it to be like how it is with you."

A lump formed in Maura's throat and she had to look away, pulling her hands from the pillow and leaving it on her best friend's lap.

"I don't mean that I want someone to replace you as my best friend," Jane said softly, intuitively knowing what Maura's reaction to her words meant. "Nobody could ever replace you. _Ever_."

Maura didn't meet Jane's concerned gaze. "Julie assumed I'd be bringing you to the wedding," Maura commented, purposefully avoiding Jane's reassurance because she wasn't sure she wanted to deal with those emotions in the first place.

"How is it she knows about me, but I don't know about her?" Jane didn't like that. At all.

"We don't talk very often. I don't think I've actually heard from her in about a year," Maura replied softly, finally turning her head toward Jane.

"Obviously you talk often enough that she knows about me," the brunette replied pointedly. "But you still didn't answer my question."

"Because I talk about you. We've been friends for seven years, Jane," Maura said. "How could you not come up in conversations with others?"

"Yet in seven years, Julie's never come up in any of _our_ conversations."

With a heavy sigh, Maura fidgeted with her hands in her lap. "Julie's not really part of my life. So there's no reason for her to come up, but when I catch up with Julie, she talks about April…and I…" She paused, then looked down. "I talk about you."

For several seconds Jane was silent, but she decided to take the plunge. "She assumed you'd bring me with you because she assumes we're a couple, doesn't she?"

" _Assumed_ , past tense," Maura pointed out. "I've made it very clear to her that you and I are not together."

"Wouldn't wanna be caught dead with me, huh?" Jane joked.

Maura kept looking down as she blushed and replied, "On the contrary. I'd be very proud to be with you, Jane."

"Really?" Jane smiled.

Looking back up, Maura swallowed hard and her eyes drifted briefly to Jane's lips. She breathed in deeply and smiled back. "Of course I'd be proud. You know I can't lie."

Jane smiled, the look in her eyes turning to pure adoration. They looked at each other for several seconds before Jane cleared her throat. "So…what did you tell her about me?" she asks cheekily, nudging Maura with her elbow. "Did you tell her about my good looks and charming personality?"

"Well, I told her who you are, what you do…" Maura trailed off and shrugged. "That you've welcomed me into your family with no hesitation."

"And that made her think we're _together_?" An eyebrow raised in curiosity.

Maura knew this was where she was trapped. It would be nearly impossible to circumvent the truth. "I think…she just assumed because it's obvious how close we are."

"We're so close it looks like we're a couple?"

"You can't deny that it certainly appears that way sometimes," the blonde replied quietly.

"Okay, so…purely hypothetically, if I were to attend this wedding with you–"

"Dr. Isles?" Susie Chang interrupted from the office doorway. "I'm sorry to interrupt, Detective Rizzoli." She looked nervously at Jane before continuing, looking back to Maura. "Would you mind looking at something for me? It won't take long."

Maura looked to Jane.

"Yeah, go! I'm not going anywhere. I can entertain myself for a few minutes." When Maura still looked hesitant, Jane shooed her away with her hands. "Go!"

Rising quickly with a smile, Maura rushed off after Chang, leaving Jane alone in her office.

As soon as Maura had exited the room, her phone vibrated. A little more than curious, Jane leaned forward and glanced at the phone screen to see the notification flash across it.

 _Julie: Seriously, you have to tell Jane how you feel, or I'm not letting you come to my wedding._

Jane's eyebrow quirked immediately upwards. Glancing toward the open office door, Jane snatched Maura's phone and typed the 4-digit passcode to unlock it. _Oh? And what exactly should I say to her?_

Three gray, animated dots appeared on the bottom left of the screen, indicating Julie was typing. _What you've been telling me for ages. Tell her you want to be with her, that you've fallen in love with her. You know she'll say it back._

Thinking for a few seconds how to reply, she finally decided on something that would come off as being sent from Maura. _How can you be so sure?_ Maura's friend's reasoning would certainly be interesting.

 _Well, for starters she trained with you for the Boston Marathon. I'm not even sure I'd do that for April and we're already engaged. Of course, there's the fact that her mother lives in your guest house…_

The click clack of Maura's heels against the linoleum floor sounded, slowly becoming louder.

Panicking, Jane quickly locked the phone and tried to set it back exactly as it'd been before Maura left. She crossed her fingers that Maura wouldn't notice the difference. Then another thought hit her and she felt like smacking her head against a wall - Maura would obviously see the text message exchange as soon as she unlocked her screen. She wondered if she could get a confession from Maura before she checked it again.

"So, you were saying?" Maura said as she sat back beside the brunette on the sofa.

Jane cleared her throat. "Hypothetically, if I were to attend this wedding with you, would that mean we'd have to act like a couple?"

Maura shrugged with one shoulder and pursed her lips briefly. "Just because Julie assumed I'd bring you with me doesn't mean you have to go, nor does it mean we'd have to pretend we're romantically involved, if you do."

"Would I have to wear a dress?" Jane scrunched up her nose.

"Not if you didn't want to, but if you want to wear dress slacks, would you _please_ get them tailored?" Exasperation was written all over Maura's face.

The look of mock horror on the brunette's face was priceless. "Excuse you. I do have my dress slacks tailored." Her eyes sparkled with amusement. "Besides, even when I get new ones these days and forget to do that, you sneak into my closet and have it done for me."

A knowing look appeared on Maura's face. "You complain all the time about people saying how masculine you are. Your appearance is much more feminine when you have your clothes tailored."

" _And_ it makes my ass look good." Jane grinned.

Immediately Maura flushed with embarrassment and looked down.

Jane nearly snorted. "Oh my god, Maura! You've been checkin' out my ass."

"I didn't–" Maura began, looking up.

"No, but your reaction just now did." The brunette chuckled. "What else have you been checking out?"

Eyes locked, Maura softly said, "I know you know that you're beautiful."

"I don't wanna talk about my 'beauty,'" Jane retorted. "I wanna talk about you checkin' me out." Her face was smug.

"Or we could talk about you checking _me_ out," the blonde countered. "More specifically, checking out my breasts."

"I–" At the look on Maura's face, Jane stopped and her shoulders slumped. "Okay, fine. Yeah. I look at your boobs. It's kinda hard not to sometimes."

"Meaning they're big?" Maura raised an eyebrow.

"Meaning you show a lot of cleavage." She tilted her head to the side briefly as her lips pursed, agreeing with Maura. "And they're big."

"They are larger than average, yes." The blonde nodded.

Jane laughed nervously. "You kneel a lot at crime scenes. I stand over you. It just…kinda happens."

"Which is amusing actually, considering that's usually not when I catch you ogling." She was suddenly having fun with this discussion. "The most often is when I'm in sleepwear, both at night and in the morning."

"You can see your nipples in them!" Jane defended.

"Yes, that usually happens when I'm not wearing a bra," Maura deadpanned.

"Maura!" Jane whined.

Immediately Maura mimicked her tone. "Jane!"

Scrunching her nose, Jane replied, "I regret ever teaching you how to act and talk like me."

"Only a little," Maura said, smiling sweetly.

Jane rolled her eyes. "Okay, back to this whole wedding thing. I don't have to wear a dress. Do I have to dance?"

"No, because I know how you feel about dancing." Maura sighed.

"But you'd want to dance."

"I like to dance."

"I'm not very good at it," Jane confessed.

With a reassuring smile, Maura replied, "I can teach you if you ever decide you want to learn."

"Hm. Maybe," was all Jane said.

"You really don't have to go, you know."

Jane knew Maura's words were genuine. "You want me to, so I will."

"Then I'll return the favor. It's only fair."

"This isn't a favor, Maura. I want to go with you because you want me to, and because you're my friend, and because…" Jane paused, biting back the words _I love you_. "Friends do things to make each other happy."

"Well then, what can I do to make you happy?"

"Whoa, that's a loaded question."

Maura rolled her eyes. "Let me amend that. What can I do right now to make you happy?"

"Hmm," Jane mused. "Take me to lunch at the Dirty Robber. I want a burger and fries. I'm starving."

Maura's brow knitted in irritation, her lips forming a thin line.

"Hey, you asked. That's what I want!" Jane grinned like a five year old who'd just been given a piece of cake.

"Only if you go with me to dinner tonight at Le Beau Truc." Maura smiled triumphantly.

"You said it takes weeks to get a reservation!" Jane grumbled.

Maura shrugged. "I know the new chef."

Jane squinted her eyes, skeptical. "Fine. I'm going back upstairs now. Come get me when you're ready to leave for lunch." She rose and headed for the door. On her way through, she turned at grinned at her best friend. Even though she knew Maura would see the texts, she also knew how she could make it okay in the end.

Instantly Maura's brow furrowed and she then shook her head, rolling her eyes. She picked up her cell phone and unlocked it. Right there on the screen was her texts with Julie. Her eyes widened at what she began to read. "Oh no…"

* * *

12:30pm

The car ride to the Dirty Robber was completely silent. Maura couldn't decide if she was more hurt or angry at Jane for invading her privacy. On top of it all, they'd had the majority of their late-morning conversation with Jane knowing how she felt. At the same time, Jane didn't seem the least bit upset about knowing. What confused Maura the most, however, was why her best friend hadn't said a word about it, during the conversation and since it. Was there an undertone of flirting after Maura had returned from helping Susie? Was Jane poking fun at her feelings?

She felt as if her head were about to explode.

"Maura."

Her name on Jane's lips broke her out of her internal struggle. She looked at Jane from the passenger's seat as if she'd just realized Jane was there with her in the first place.

Jane chewed lightly on her bottom lip. "I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I shouldn't have…I just saw Julie's text pop up on the screen and–"

"And decided it was okay to invade my private conversation like that?" Maura closed her eyes and shook her head, looking out the passenger window as she tried to fight back the tears that were gathering. "It's one thing for your mother to invade my privacy. We both know she just meddles because that's apparently what mothers do, as irritating as it can be sometimes. But you…" She scoffed.

"You know what? Never mind," Jane suddenly replied, tone sharp. "I'm glad I read it and replied." She turned in her seat to face her best friend. "Because I'm pretty sure otherwise you never would've told me that you're in love with me. Did you ever actually _plan_ on telling me? That's a pretty big deal, Maura."

"I don't know," Maura whispered.

"Will you please look at me?" Jane softened her voice because she knew she'd already upset Maura enough. When glistening hazel eyes met her own, she asked, "Did you ever stop to think with that genius brain of yours that maybe, just maybe, I might feel something even remotely similar?"

Maura's voice was hoarse when she spoke. "Yes, I did, but you've always said you only like men, so I couldn't really do much with that, could I?"

"You could've kissed me!" the brunette exclaimed. "I wouldn't have stopped you."

"You could've kissed me, too!" Maura countered. "And you–"

Her best friend's lips were suddenly pressed against her own and she instinctively closed her eyes as her lips moved to match the pace and pressure Jane was setting.

After several seconds, Jane broke their kiss and pressed her forehead against Maura's. "There," she said quietly. "Is that clear enough?" Pulling back, she observed Maura's face, whose eyes were closed with her lips still parted, obviously not quite registering that the kiss was over.

"One more time for good measure," Maura breathed out before leaning forward to press her lips against Jane's again. This time her hand rose to Jane's neck, fingers tangling in unruly, dark curls.

* * *

11:07pm

"God," Jane moaned. "I'm not." Kiss. "Sure." Another kiss. "How we made it the rest of the day." Maura bit lightly on her lip, causing her to moan. "Or dinner for that matter. Without doing this."

Lips still pressed to Jane's, Maura slipped her hands underneath the lapels of Jane's blazer, up to her shoulders, and pushed the offending material backwards, forcing it off of the brunette's shoulders.

Once it began its descent, Jane shrugged, trying to make the blazer fall even more so she could pull at least one arm free. "Shit," she mumbled against Maura's lips. Frustrated, she stopped their kiss and nearly growled as one arm finally broke free before she practically threw the blazer blindly to the side. It slammed against the wall and fell to the floor in a crumpled, dark gray heap.

Maura continued forcing Jane backwards down the hall toward the bedroom, hands fumbling at Jane's hips to unbuckle her belt. "Not sure," she murmured. "Don't really care right now."

They crossed the threshold of Jane's bedroom, lips locked.

With Jane's belt pulled free, the blonde tossed it to the side and her hands flew back to Jane's hips, popping open the button of Jane's trousers and unzipping them.

Crossing her arms in front of her, Jane pulled back and jerked her plain, yellow fitted tee over her head, long locks getting caught in the neckline. She tossed it away to reveal simple, shade of nude color bra, though lighter than her own tan skin. Her eyes never left Maura's even as she felt the bed at the back of her thighs and she pushed frantically at her dress slacks, forcing them to the floor. Falling backwards onto the bed, she propped herself up on her elbows and kicked off the slacks.

Hazel eyes darkened with desire, Maura reached to her side for the zipper of her dark blue dress, hastily unzipping it before pushing the fabric off her shoulders. The dress slumped to the floor and Maura stepped out of it before almost daintily kicking off her stilettos. While normally she'd pick up the dress and hang it up or lay it flat, there was no time for that. It needed to be dry cleaned anyway. As she stepped forward to the end of the bed, Jane pushed herself back up and widened her legs so she could stand between them.

The look on Jane's face was of lust and love and she tilted her head back slightly to lock eyes with Maura. Placing her hands on Maura's hips, right on the lacy fabric of Maura's underwear, she quietly confessed, "I didn't think I'd be celebrating nationwide gay marriage with _actual_ gay sex, but I'm pretty happy with the turn of events."

"And in about ten minutes, you'll be even happier," Maura replied, leaning down to press her lips to her lover's.

* * *

Yes, I know this is a fade to black scene.

Believe it or not, writing smut gets tedious and boring sometimes. I tried to spice it up a little though.

(For non-Americans, or perhaps Americans who might not know, SCOTUS stands for the Supreme Court of the United States.)


End file.
